Info: Videolicious for the iPad, iPhone, iPod.
Cost: Free
Quick overview: An overview of how we’ve used the Videolicious app with FSL and English students to help develop writing and communication competencies. An advantage to using Videolicious is that it allows students to present an oral presentation without being put on the spot in front of the whole class.
How can the app be used in the classroom? Students were paired into groups of two and were provided a topic by the teacher. Before recording anything on the iPad, the students were asked to research their arguments and write out a bullet point list of what they’d like to communicate. In the next step, students used the iPads to select pictures, videos, and music to support their spoken text. After everything was recorded, the class reviewed the videos together. The entire activity can be done in about two hours.
What about different levels of students? For higher level students, the activity was geared towards using English language to persuade or arguing a viewpoint. Lower level FSL students used the app as a springboard to get them talking in a second language about a particular theme (i.e. – what I’m doing over the holidays, what I saw on my way to school, etc..)
What advantages did the mobile technology bring to the classroom? The app limits the student to 50 seconds of speaking time, similar in format to a TV commercial. This forces the students to present short, concise speeches. It was not uncommon that the students had to record multiple takes to get things right, providing them with lots of practice! The way the app is designed, it does not allow the students to fiddle with editing, which could take away from working on the language. Last but not least, if you’re considering this activity with your students, it’s VERY important that each group of students has a quiet place to record their videos. (Special thanks to following teachers who graciously invited me into their classrooms to try this activity: Shanna Loach and Megan Maclean, New Horizons, ETSB – Stephanie Sabbagh, Place Cartier, LBPSB – Darlene Brown, The Learning Exchange and CDC Vimont, SWLSB)
Interested? We have enough iPads and iPods to accommodate your FGA classroom. Please contact me to discuss how we can adapt this activity for your classroom!
Video: To see a 1 minute video demonstrating how the app works, please click the play button below:
